While the paradigm “Once a smoker, always a smoker” continues to exist amongst people who have tried to quit but haven’t been able to in recent years. While doctors still consider the craving for sweets to be more powerful than quitting your smokes, people still seem to struggle and continue to lose the battle against nicotine.
But if you are still interested in quitting, here are a few steps that can help you to do so:
1. Understanding why you want to quit
If you wish to quit, the just knowing that it is not good for you isn’t enough. To motivate you to quit requires something much more than this. Some example of powerful motivators could be to protect your family from the second-hand smoke from your cigarettes or even the fear of lung cancer, and even worse, that of death.
2. Cold Turkey is not an option
If you want to quit, choose smoking cessation methods that are available instead of going cold turkey. Since your brain is already addicted to nicotine, you will not be able to quit it immediately. So look for nicotine replacements therapies such as chewing gum, patches and lozenges, and if it is too bad, ask your doctor for prescription pills.
3. Ask for support
Let’s face it: once you decide to quit, there will several times when you feel like smoking a cigarette, and in the presence of certain “triggers”, you might give into the temptation to take a drag or two. So, take help from your loved ones and friends who can support you while you quit.
